About Jeff Wadlin

Christian. Husband. Father. Engineer. Businessman. Candidate for U.S. Senate.

I’m Jeff Wadlin, and I chose Arkansas. I was born in Richmond, Virginia, and moved around a lot — Illinois, Arizona, North Carolina. But when it came time to plant roots and raise a family, I picked Bentonville. My three sons are growing up here. This is home.

I’m not a career politician. I’m a builder. I studied aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Virginia, went to work for Caterpillar, earned an MBA from Northwestern, and spent the rest of my career making things run. I co-founded a company in Illinois that became the largest online salvage yard for auto parts in the country. I worked at Capital One’s headquarters in Virginia. I launched my own product development company. I ran Membership nationwide at Sam’s Club here in Bentonville. Then I left to build my own consulting business.

Big companies, small companies — I’ve done both. I’ve led teams, made payroll, sat across the table from customers, and learned the hard way that a good idea isn’t worth much until somebody executes it. You have to listen. You have to solve real problems for real people. That’s the work I know how to do.

Outside of work, you’ll find me on a mountain bike or a motorcycle, out on a backpacking trail, in the gym, or at a poker table. I’m a regular guy who’s been blessed with a good education, a strong family, and enough road behind me now to want to give something back.

And here’s why I’m running.

I’m worried about where this country is headed, and I think a lot of Arkansans are too. Families are working as hard as they ever have and still feel like they’re falling behind. Young people are starting to wonder if the American Dream is even on the table for them. Parents and grandparents keep asking the same quiet question: what kind of country are we handing the next generation?

Those aren’t abstractions to me. I feel them at my own kitchen table. When I think about whether my kids will get to build the kind of life I got to build, it’s personal.

I don’t think we fix any of this by yelling louder, hating our neighbors, or treating politics like permanent team warfare. My faith teaches me that God is love — that we’re called to love our neighbors even when we disagree. That isn’t weakness. It’s telling the truth with humility, standing firm on what you believe, and remembering that the people across from you are not your enemies.

My principles are simple: love, truth, work, and sacrifice.

I believe government should leave you alone unless you’re harming someone else — physically or financially. I believe every working family deserves a fair shot at a good life. And I believe Washington needs more adults in the room: more builders, more problem-solvers, and fewer politicians who profit from keeping us divided.

I’ve stepped into the arena before, running for Justice of the Peace, City Council, and a bid for the Libertarian nomination for U.S. House in 2018. I haven’t won yet, but that’s about to change. Public service is worth the effort, even when the odds are long.

I’m running for U.S. Senate because I want to help build a country where hardworking Arkansans — and our kids and grandkids — can live freely, work hard, raise their families, build something of their own, and believe in the future again.

I chose Arkansas. Now I’m asking Arkansas to choose me. Let’s get to work. 

United we stand.